Human caliciviruses (HuCVs) cause sporadic cases and outbreaks of acute gastroenteritis (AGE). Three maior genogrovps of HuCVs have been described including the Norwalk virus (NV)-, the Snow Mountain virus (SMA)-, and the Sapporo-genogroups. This study describes the detection and genetic variation of HuCVs from hospitalized infants with AGE in Korea by RT-PCR and sequencing. The cDNA fragments of 206 to 470bp corresponding to the region of 3 primer pairs (36/35, 35/51 or 3/51) in the polymerase region of NV were generated. Of 185 stools screened, 8% were positive by RT-PCR and their sequences showed that all strains contained the GLPSG and YGDD motifs which are conserved for HuCVs. Amino acid (aa) sequence analysis showed that these strains can be divided into 3 maior genogroups. High conservation was observed in that one strain shares 100% of as sequence with Southampton virus, another shares 99% with the Sapporo virus, and six strains share 90 to 95% with Snow Mountain virus. However, significant sequence variation was also found in other strains. This study indicates that all maior genogroups of HuCVs are circulating in Korea.
Disease Outbreaks ; DNA, Complementary ; Gastroenteritis ; Genetic Variation ; Genotype ; Humans* ; Infant ; Korea* ; Norwalk virus ; RNA Replicase* ; Sapovirus ; Sequence Analysis ; Snow

Granuloma annulare is a common, benign, inflamatory, usually self-limited dermatosis. Disseminated perforating granuloma annulare is a rare variant of granuloma annulare. A 23-month-old female patient had asymptomatic, multiple umbilicated papules on the face, limbs including palms and soles, buttock and trunk for about 5 months. The new lesions have developed with mild fever or symptoms of upper respiratory infection. Histopathological examination revealed transepidermal elimination of mucinous degenerated collagen fibers and surrounding palisading lymphohistiocytic granuloma. After she was treated with prednisolone and antibiotics, the lesions slightly resolved, but thereafter, new lesions have developed frequently with mild fever. We herein reported a rare case of disseminated perforating granuloma annulare in the youngest patient yet reported.
Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Buttocks ; Child* ; Collagen ; Extremities ; Female ; Fever ; Granuloma Annulare* ; Granuloma* ; Humans ; Infant ; Mucins ; Prednisolone ; Skin Diseases

Left atrial myxoma is well-known mimicker of systemic vasculitis. In general, however, these patients showed some symptoms and signs of cardiovascular disease. We experienced a patient with left atrial myxoma who first presented as vasculitis without any symptoms and signs suggesting cardiovascular disorders. A 45 year-old lady showed tender skin nodules, livedo reticuiaris-like skin lesions, severe constitutional symptoms, multiple cerebral infarctions, and elevated ESR and globulin. Skin biopsy findings were thought to be consistent with polyarteritis nodosa. Echocardiography was performed as a routine test for evaluating suspected vasculitis patients and it revealed left atrial myxoma. However, we were not able to detect any auscultation abnormality, even after echocardiography, After echocardiography, we found the tumor emboli in skin biopy specimen with deeper section. This case demonstrated the importance of suspecting the possibility of left atrial myxoma when performing diagnostic work-up for vasculitis.
Auscultation ; Biopsy ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Cerebral Infarction ; Echocardiography ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Myxoma ; Polyarteritis Nodosa ; Skin ; Systemic Vasculitis ; Vasculitis

Although variation is the rule with pancreatic duct morphology, certain variants occur as a result of altered embroological development. These ductal configurations, most striking deviations from the normal configuration, may be classfied according to alterations of embryological development. These congenital variants of pancreatic duct may be important for several reasons. First, the pseudomass effect of ductal anomalies can be mistaken for carcinoma by the inexperienced radiologists. Second, whether or not the anomaly is important, it is present in many patients with recurrent pacreatitis. Original descriptions were based on small sampling of postmortem studies and surgical specimen, but more recently the advent of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography(ERCP) has confirmed of the work of early anastomists and increased awareness of these variants. To evalute of frequency, characteristics of associated disease and clinical significance of pancreatic anomalies, we have reviewed of 5330 case of ERCP filmes which were undertaken between July, 1973 and August, 1993. Having reviewed of ERCP filmes, we found out 9 case of pancreatic duct variants. Among them, 7 cases were classified as ductal duplication anomalies, 4 cases of number variation, most, bifuricaiton and 3 cases of form variation, which were composed of loop, spiral and terminal N. Three cases of fusion anomalies were also noted, which were 2 cases of panceratic divisum and 1 case of incomplete pancreatic divisum. The associated diseases were 6 cases of bile duct and galbladder stones and 3 cases of pancreatic cancer. We could not find out the case of congenital anomalies as cause of obstructive pain and pseudomass effect.
Bile Ducts ; Cholangiopancreatography, Endoscopic Retrograde* ; Humans ; Pancreatic Ducts* ; Pancreatic Neoplasms ; Pancrelipase ; Strikes, Employee

A Clinical observation was made on five patients with ruptured aortic sinus of Valsalva who visited Seoul National university hospital during the period of May, 1975~Jan., 1980. 1. Age distribution was from 19 to 32 years and four patients were male and the rest one case was female. 2. Chief complaints on admission were dyspnea in 3 cases and chest pain in 2 cases. Onset of symptoms was abrupt in 4 cases. 3. Continuous murmur was heard at third and fourth intercostal space along left sternal border with thrill in all cases. 4. Cardiac catheterization and aortography showed regurgitant flow from aorta to right ventricle in all cases. 5. Operation was done successfully in 3 cases, of which aortic insufficiency was persistent in one case.
Age Distribution ; Aorta ; Aortography ; Cardiac Catheterization ; Cardiac Catheters ; Chest Pain ; Dyspnea ; Female ; Heart Ventricles ; Humans ; Male ; Seoul ; Sinus of Valsalva*

Transient synovitis of the hip is non-specific inflammation and self limited condition, which is most common cause of painful limping in children under 10 years of age. Ultrasonography presents some merits, simple, rapid, non-invasive, low cost, repetitive to assess soft structures in and around the hip joint compared to other diagnostic methods. We prospectively studied 32 cases of unilateral transient synovitis at OPD from Jan. 1988 to Oct. 1989 using 5-7.5 MH, probe ultrasonography. 2-times serial check up in symptomatic and asymptomatic stage about capsule thickness and bone-capsule distance in 3 different positions of the both hips were performed for comparision. The following results were obtained; 1. Boys were 25 cases (78%) and 26 cases (83%) were between 3 and 7 years old of age. 2. Bone-capsule distance in ultrasonography revealed abnormal increase in 72%. 3. External rotation position showed wider bone-capsule distance than other position. 4. Capsule thickness was 3.3mm in diseased and 3.0mm in sound, 0.3mm decrease after treatment. 5. Bone-capsule distance was 4.5mm in symptomatic stage, 2.7mm in asymptomatic stage, 1.8mm decrease after treatment in averge.
Child ; Hip Joint ; Hip ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Prospective Studies ; Synovitis ; Ultrasonography

Bone scan using 99m Tc-MDP is the most accurate and reliable method for the early detection of fracture, andgive the most accurate in formation about the healing process of fractured bone. Recent days, the medicolegalproblem about the injured time is frequently provoked in vertebral fracture patient by trauma. The authorsanalyzed the bone scan of vertebral fracture patients from March to Dec. 1983. The authors obtained results asfollows: 1. The minimum time for a fracture to return to normal on a bone scan was 4 month in cervical spine. 2.It was 12 month in thoracic spine. 3. It was 6 month in lumbar spine. 4. Surrounding soft tissue injury was healedwithin 10 days after trauma in our cases. 5. Focal hot uptake is persisted in case of callus deposition on plainfilm, although very small in amount. 6. Healing time is delayed in case of severely compressed vertebral body,belowed the half than normal height. 7. With bone scan it is possible to differentiate the fresh fracture from oldhealed, impossible by plain film. 8. Healing time is delayed in old age.
Bony Callus ; Humans ; Methods ; Soft Tissue Injuries ; Spine

PURPOSE: This study was performed to evaluate the difference in effectiveness between two cervical orthoses, the Philadelphia collar (Philadelphia Collar Co., Philadelphia, PA) and the Stifneck (Laerdal, Armonk, NY), in their ability to restrict cervical motion in flexion, extension, lateral tilt, rotation, and intervertebral motion in Koreans. METHODS: Ten volunteers, young Korean men (26~4 2years of age), with clinically and radiographically normal cervical spines were studied. The normal and unrestrictedranges of active cervical motion in flexion, extension, and lateral tilt were measured in each subject and compared with the motion permitted in each of the two cervical orthoses. RESULTS: This study demonstrated the Stifneck collar's superiority over the Philadelphia collar in extension, rotation, and lateral tilt, but not in flexion. The efficacies of the two collars in restricting intervertebral movement are good except between the 1st and the 2nd cervical vertebrae. The reason is the cervical vertebrae do not move as one unit; paradoxical motion, the phenomenon of "snaking," occurs. Compared to the results for the cervical spines of a Caucasian population, our results revealed that the combined flexion-extension of the cervical spine was markedly less restricted with both cervical orthoses. CONCLUSION: The first obvious implication of the "snaking phenomenon" is that measurements of "total overall" cervical spine motion may be misleading. The limited effectiveness of restriction at maximum combined flexion-extension suggests that the anatomy of the skull in Asians might differ from that of Caucasians, leading us to believe that a new type of orthosis based on Asian anatomy needs to be developed, and produced.
Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Cervical Vertebrae ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Orthotic Devices* ; Skull ; Spine ; Volunteers

BACKGROUND: An association between diabetes and tuberculosis has long ken implied. The severity of diabetes appears to correlate with the degree of tuberculous activity. METHODS: A retrospective chart review of 82 patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis in diabetics(DMTB) and 83 patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis in nondiabetios (Non-DMTB) admitted to the Kyung Hee Medical Center between January 1995 and December 1996 was undertaken. RESULTS: The sex ratio of DMTB was 58 : 24, and that of Non-DMTB was 62 : 21. Male patients predominated in both groups. The highest incidence of DMIB was 6th and 7th decades and that of Non-DMTB was 3rd and 4th decades. In case which the tuberculosis developed after diagnosis of diabetes, the prevalence of pulmonary tuberculosis was the highest in diabetes for 5 -10 years. On chest X-ray findings, the moderate advanced tuberculosis cases were the most common (60.9% in DMTB and 50.6% in Non-DMTB). There was no relation between the degree of tuberculosis activity on chest x-ray(minimal, moderata awl far advanced tuberculosis) and presence of diabetes. The incidence of lower lung field tuberculosis in DMTB was significantly higher than Non-DMTB(p<0.05). The multiple lobe involvement was the predominant chest roentgenograpflc finding in both groups. There was no significant difference of treatment response between DMTB and Non-DMTB. There was no relationship between initial HbA1c and the stverity of pulmonary tuberculosis on chest X-ray. During treatmenu of pulmonary tuberculosis in excellently and well controlled diabetes, the cure rate of pulmonary tuberculosis was sigrificantly higher than the pcorly controlled diabetes and the rate of treatment failure was significantly lower than poorly controlled diabetes. (p<0.05). CONCLUISON: Poor control of blood glucose is related with increased rate of treatment failure in pulmonary tuberculosis with diabetes mellitus. Further investigation will be needed to study the mechanisms of treatment failure in poorly controlled diabetics with pulmonaiy tuberculosis.
Blood Glucose ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Incidence ; Lung ; Male ; Prevalence ; Retrospective Studies ; Sex Ratio ; Thorax ; Treatment Failure ; Tuberculosis ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary*

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The incidence of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is reported to be high in South China and Hong-Kong. For that reason, the Ho's staging system has been used in the Hong-Kong area, while the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) staging system has been commonly used in western countries. The fifth-edition staging system defines new rules for classifying NPC. The purpose of this study was to find out whether the fifth-edition of the AJCC staging system is better than Ho's and the fourth-edition AJCC staging system in predicting the prognosis of NPC. MATERIALS AND METHOD: Fifty NPC patients of World Health Organization type II and type III were restaged according to the Ho's staging system, the fourth-edition AJCC and the fifth-edition AJCC staging systems. The disease specific survival rate was calculated by T category, N category and stage grouping for each staging system. RESULTS: The fifth-edition of AJCC showed good distribution compared with other systems in stage classification and also showed statistical significance in the disease specific survival rate between early carcinoma (stage I-II) and advanced carcinoma (stage III-IV). On the survival curve of T and N categories, the fifth-edition of AJCC showed statistical significance in the disease specific survival rate between T1-2 and T3-4 group, and also between N0-1 and N2-3 group. But Ho's staging system showed similar statistical results to the fifth-edition of AJCC, except for higher concentration of patients at stage III. The fourth-edition of AJCC didn't show any statistical significance among categories of T, N and the stage groups. CONCLUSION: In considering the poorer survival rates resulting from the cranial nerve or intracranial invasion and bilateral, or lower neck lymph node metastasis, the extensive invasion to adjacent regions and lymph node metastasis may have an influence on the prognosis. As far as prognostic categories are concerned, the fifth-edition of AJCC appears to be an improvement over other system. So, we concluded that the fifth-edition of AJCC staging system is better than the fourth-edition of AJCC and Ho's staging system to predict the prognosis of NPC.
China ; Classification ; Cranial Nerves ; Humans ; Incidence ; Joints* ; Lymph Nodes ; Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms ; Neck ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Neoplasm Staging ; Prognosis ; Survival Rate ; World Health Organization